


Coffee and Bullets

by thefalconsam



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Buddy Cops, Character Death, Eventual Romance, M/M, Serious Injuries, Slow Burn, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 05:13:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15405741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefalconsam/pseuds/thefalconsam
Summary: Sam Wilson, a NY cop who worked his way up to the title of Special Agent, finds himself stuck with a transferee from Indiana, James Barnes. Both of them struggle with the heavy weight of their pasts. Will Sam and Bucky get along enough to catch a killer?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer, I don’t know absolutely anything about law enforcement. Like nothing. This is all in good fun. My knowledge comes from Criminal Minds and Law & Order.

Bang.  
  
“I need backup! I repeat, I need backup, we got an officer down!”  
  
Sam kneeled down beside Riley, glancing up just in time to see the asshole escape out of the side of the warehouse.  
  
Bang.  
  
“Sam? Sam, don’t leave me-”  
  
“I’m not, I’m here, I got you, man, just hang on. Just-”  
  
“Sammy-”  
  
Bang.  
  
“-take care of him, okay? You take care of him, you hear me?” Riley grabbed at his uniform, “He’s got nobody else. Please. Please.”  
  
Bang.  
  
“Stop talking like you’re gonna-”  
  
“Promise me!” Riley coughed hard, groaning as his face scrunched up in pain.  
  
“Okay, I promise. I promise,” Sam said with a voice that shook as much as his hands were. Blood was seeping through his fingers, making them warm and sticky. No matter how hard he pressed, it just wouldn’t stop. It wouldn’t stop!  
  
Bang.  
  
“I told you to wait,” Sam said helplessly.  
  
Riley gave him a ghost of a smile, “Always was a bit impatient, huh? Hey, Sam?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
Bang.  
  
“Thanks for being there for me all these years. You aren’t just a partner. You’re my family. My brother.”  
  
“Riley, man, shut the hell up! Please, you can’t- you can’t just-” Sam felt tears tickling his skin as they fell down his cheeks, his voice breaking. His throat felt tight. He couldn’t get enough air.  
  
“You make sure he knows he’s loved.”  
  
Bang.  
  
“I will. I will, goddammit, I will.  
  
"Riley? Riley! Son of a bitch, don’t you dare leave me! Riley!”  
  
Bang.  
  
\--  
"Wilson!”  
  
Sam whipped around, gun lowered and safety on as he removed his earplugs, “Sir?”  
  
“I got a case for you.”  
  
He holstered his gun and tossed the earplugs in the trash. The target at the end of the row Sam had been occupying was littered with bullet holes. He didn’t bother switching it out.  
  
His eyes locked on the manila folder in Nick’s hands as he approached, “What is it?”  
  
Nick nodded his head towards the hall, a silent request to walk and talk, “Katherine Milles. Twenty-one year old college student at NYU. Found dead on a park bench this morning.”  
  
“What’s the cause of death?” Sam asked.  
  
“Strangulation, as far as we know right now. Estimated time of death was around two in the morning. We don’t have an official report yet, they’re still running tests down at the lab,” Nick handed him the folder as they reached his office, “She had bruising around her wrists and ankles. Some of her hair was ripped out too. Couple other defensive wounds. Whoever her attacker was, she put up a good fight.”  
  
“If she was placed on a park bench, someone wanted her to be found, and fast. They must be really confident that it can’t be traced back to them. That, or they want to be caught. Is this supposed to be some twisted form of a public statement?” Sam asked.  
  
“I dunno,” Nick shook his head, “Your guess is as good as mine right now.”  
  
Sam opened the folder, looking at the photo of a seemingly happy, innocent young woman, “Jesus…did you notify the family yet?”  
  
“They’re on their way here now. I thought it would be best that I talk to them myself,” Nick sat down behind his desk, looking at Sam with an intense gaze.  
  
Sam looked up, raising his eyebrows, “What?”  
  
“Don’t make it personal, Sam,” Nick warned.  
  
Sam scoffed, looking out the line of windows on the far side of the room, “I’m not-“  
  
“You don’t need to convince me,” Nick held his hands up in a placating manner.  
  
Before Sam could respond, the door opened and they both glanced back.  
  
“Hey, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting.”  
  
Nick stood back up, walking around his desk to offer his hand to the stranger, “Nick Fury. This is Special Agent Sam Wilson. You the transferee from Indiana?”  
  
“Yes, sir. James Barnes. It’s a pleasure to work with you and your team,” Bucky offered a nervous smile as he shook his hand.  
  
“Likewise. Listen, Wilson, I want you and Barnes on that campus. Talk to anyone and everyone who knew our vic. If they so much as looked her way, I wanna know what they know about her,” Nick said firmly, “I’ll call you when I have the test results back from the lab.”  
  
“Woah, hold up, I don’t need-”  
  
“It wasn’t a suggestion. You’re gonna need all the help you can get,” Nick interrupted.  
  
Bucky shifted awkwardly, looking between them. He felt like the new kid in class.  
  
After a long and hard staredown between the two of them, Sam clenched his jaw and sighed through his nose, “I’m driving.”  
  
He turned around and left the office without another word.  
  
Bucky looked at Nick, not unlike a deer in headlights.  
  
“You better get going, Barnes. If you’re not in that car, he will leave without you,” Nick crossed his arms, no humor on his face.  
  
Bucky cursed softly under his breath and made for the front of the station, nearly knocking an officer over in the process. He called out a hasty apology without turning back. He hardly had time to close the passenger side door before Sam was pulling away from the curb. He put his seatbelt on, torn between being frustrated and exasperated.  
  
Sam’s grip on the steering wheel was tight as he stared ahead. After a moment, he reached behind him to grab the folder from the backseat and he tossed it on Bucky’s lap, “Read up. You got fifteen minutes.”  
  
Bucky opened the folder and skimmed the front page, muttering curses under his breath. His lips twitched down in disgust and he couldn’t help the surge of anger that nearly made him dizzy.  
  
There was a beat of awkward silence before Sam turned on the radio.  
  
“Can you turn that down, please?” Bucky asked through gritted teeth, struggling to focus on the file.  
  
Sam turned the volume up, leaning back in his seat as he tapped his fingers on the wheel to the beat of Marvin Gaye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer, I don’t know absolutely anything about law enforcement. Like nothing. This is all in good fun. My knowledge comes from Criminal Minds and Law & Order.

“Katie was a great student. Her GPA was well above average, she never turned in a single assignment late, she was always on time to class. I don’t understand why someone would do this.”  
  
Sam watched Katherine’s history professor and advisor, Dr. David Timothy, pace back and forth across the small office.  
  
“Sir, I know this is a very difficult situation, but can you think of anyone- anyone at all- who would have wanted to hurt Katherine?” Bucky asked for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.  
  
David shook his head, “No, no. Of course not. She was such a sweet girl-“  
  
“Mr. Timothy, think hard,” Sam pressed.  
  
The man halted in his steps, swiping a hand down his face. He took a deep, shaky breath and swallowed, eyes shifting as he went through a mental list of the people he knew on campus.  
  
Sam’s phone rang and he glanced at the photo on the screen. Him, Thomas, and Riley during Thomas’s first birthday party. The name ‘Sarah’ was printed in bold white letters overtop of his own face, followed by a number he knew all too well by now.  
  
“Excuse me,” he promptly stood, stepping into the hall.  
  
Bucky’s worried gaze followed him until the door clicked shut and his eyes returned to David, “Anyone at all, even the slightest motive. Jealousy, pride…”  
\--  
“What’s wrong? Is Thomas okay? Are you okay?” Sam asked hurriedly into the phone.  
  
“Woah, slow down. Everything’s fine. Tommy just wouldn’t take his nap until he talked to you first. He says it’s very important and it absolutely can’t wait.”  
  
Sam felt the tension in his shoulders subside as he exhaled, leaning his head on the wall and closing his eyes. He was quiet for a second before he spoke again, his voice much more composed, “Put him on.”  
  
The line crackled before Sam heard a soft sniffle, “Uncle Sammy?”  
  
“Hey, buddy, what’s the matter, huh?” Sam asked gently, glancing at the door to David’s office.  
  
“Are you coming back?”  
  
Sam could physically feel his heart rip in two and he had to swallow back the tightness in his throat before he replied, voice strained, “Course I am, Tommy, I’ll be there tonight.”  
  
“Do you promise?”  
  
There was no hesitation in his reply, “I promise. Cross my heart.”  
  
Thomas sniffed again, “Can we eat pizza?”  
  
“Sure. I’ll pick some up on my way home. Why don’t you pick a movie out after your nap, okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Thomas agreed easily, “Are you getting the bad guys?”  
  
“I’m trying,” Sam’s lips twitched up.  
  
“Good luck. I love you, Sammy.”  
  
“I love you too, Tom. I’ll see you soon.”  
  
Sarah took the phone back, amusement laced into her voice, “I don’t know what kind of magic you use but I wanna learn.”  
  
Sam huffed out a laugh, “Listen, thank you for watching him.”  
  
“It’s my pleasure,” she paused, “You’re his hero, you know. We went to the park earlier and he spent nearly an hour telling the other kids about his ‘Uncle Sammy’.”  
  
Silence.  
  
“Bad day?” she continued.  
  
“Just a new case. ‘T’s nothing,” he said dismissively.  
  
“Mmhmm. One day you’re gonna let yourself feel. You know I’m here for you, right? You’re my brother. You can lean on me. You can talk to me about anything.”  
  
Sam felt a slight headache starting behind his eyes and the tension returned, “I know. I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight.”  
  
“Be careful.”  
  
He hung up, looking at the photo on the screen once more.  
  
He sighed, tucking his phone into the inside pocket of his suit. He felt oddly cold as he entered the office.  
  
\--  
Bucky was in the process of handing the professor a slip of paper, “If you remember anything else, please, give us a call.”  
  
“Of course,” David nodded, holding the paper in both hands as he stared at the number.  
  
“Thank you for your time, Dr. Timothy,” Bucky nodded at the door and Sam walked back into the hallway, holding the door open.  
  
They were both silent on their way to the car. It wasn’t until the engine was started and the seatbelts were on that Bucky broke the silence, “Is everything okay?”  
  
“Yep,” Sam said simply.  
  
Bucky’s gaze lingered until he looked out the window, “Lisa said Katherine frequented the Bean Brew Café. Mentioned she sometimes went more than once a day. You think it could’ve been an employee? A stalker maybe? If she was found out in the open like that, the killer could be showing guilt or remorse.”  
  
Sam shifted into drive, “I could use some caffeine.”  
  
The café was littered with people, most of whom had their faces glued to various screens.  
  
“Iced caramel macchiato!”  
  
Bucky stopped in his steps as the scent of freshly ground coffee hit him. Suddenly he was sitting on the edge of a bed with a paper thin mattress and a blanket that scratched at his skin every night like sandpaper.  
  
\--  
“You drawing your girl again, Rogers?” asked Rosco.  
  
Steve flushed, picking at the corner of the page in his sketchbook.  
  
“Ah, leave him alone, Rosco,” Bucky moved to sit on Steve’s bed, “How’s Peggy doin’?”  
  
“She’s fine,” Steve shifted, his sketchbook resting on one of his knees as he stretched his other leg out, “She’s real excited for us to come home next week. One day soon we’re gonna open our little diner. Pegs found a place in Brooklyn. It’s a fixer upper but once we’re done, it’ll be the next hot spot. And maybe I’ll hang up some of my art or something.”  
  
“Yeah?” Bucky grinned, clapping him on the shoulder, “I’m proud of you, punk. I mean it.”  
  
Steve smiled back, “I’ll expect to see you there. First cup of coffee is on me.”  
  
The sketchbook was tilted just enough for Bucky to see the page. Steve had been sketching the front of the dream diner.  
  
“I’ll hold you to that, pal.”  
  
The sirens were deafening as the ground shook beneath Bucky’s feet. The smoke and dust burned his eyes and his lungs. He couldn’t see.  
  
“Steve! Steve, where are you? Steve!”  
  
Gunfire. Agonized screams.  
  
Bucky remembered the Summer heat. He remembered all the Sundays he spent sitting on the uncomfortable wooden pews between his parents. He remembered listening to the pastor’s descriptions of Hell. He remembered focusing more on the thought of playing in the creek behind the house, catching toads and crawfish as soon as the service was over. But Hell wasn’t just words on a page anymore, in one ear and out the other. Hell was different when you were in the middle of it.  
  
“Steve!”  
  
Everything was quiet. So peacefully quiet. And then it started. The excruciating ringing in his ears. It didn’t register until he felt the pain in his throat that he was screaming. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t hear. And all he could think about was his family. His family and Steve. Steve…  
  
\--  
“-arnes? Barnes!”  
  
Bucky blinked, looking at the blatant concern on Sam’s face, “Yeah?”  
  
His voice was broken, quiet, a little shaky. His fingers were trembling, chest rising and falling quickly.  
  
Sam nodded, as if he were reaching a conclusion, before he pointed his thumb at the door, “Let’s take a walk.”  
  
“No, the- the case- we need to-”  
  
“Wasn’t a suggestion,” Sam walked around him until he pushed the door open and held it, looking back at him expectantly.  
  
Bucky licked his lips, sniffing and rubbing his nose with the back of his hand as he quickly stepped outside.  
  
They walked alongside each other, a tense silence enveloping them like a bubble.  
  
Sam shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Bucky said quietly.  
  
Sam hummed, looking up at the sky, “Who was it?”  
  
“What?” Bucky scrunched his face up in confusion.  
  
“Who did you lose?” Sam asked.  
  
Bucky stared at him, surprised. And then it clicked, he suddenly knew why Sam had been so cold back in Fury’s office.  
  
“His name was Steve. He was my best friend.”  
  
Sam didn’t say anything and Bucky realized he was giving him the opportunity to continue. He wasn’t pushing him, he was simply offering a listening ear. Respect. That’s the only word to describe what Bucky was feeling at that moment.  
  
“He used to be a scrawny little shit.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @thefalconsam (:


End file.
